When the sky caught fire
by Ellyn92
Summary: We all know what happened when the arena was destroyed: Katniss was saved, alongside Beetee and Finnick. But what happened to Peeta and Johanna? They are left behind in an arena, as bait for the Capitol. Did they try to run? How did they feel when they realized no one would be coming back for them?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Peeta**

I'm lying backwards on the ground. For a mere second, I believed I was done for. The explosion that took place only moment ago, was so powerful that even I - who must have been standing almost a mile away from it - was blown of my feet. I have no idea of the damage it has caused, but by the smell that is filling the air, I can tell the forest must be on fire.

Slowly, I struggle to get back on my feet and look around. Not far from where I'm standing, flames are licking the leaves of the trees. Animals of all sorts make their way through the bushes, whilst making anxious noises. They're running for their lives: something I should be doing too, I guess. But I decide I will not run away, because I want to find out what had just happened.

Before I make further movement, I take a closer look at myself. Miraculously, I'm unharmed. However, I'm still in a burning arena full of murderous people, so I don't feel the urge to cheer quit yet. Speaking about murderous people, where are the others anyway? I gaze around, looking for any sign of other tributes, but I can't see them. Maybe it's because my eyes cannot distinguish the environment because of the smoke that's slowly spreading through the arena. Or maybe, there is just nobody there.

I take my bets on the last option. Otherwise, someone would have found me by now - or more likely, someone would have killed me. I conclude that the others must probably be in no condition of looking for me right now, or worse… I shake away the thought, but a feeling of intense fear suddenly hits me like a bullet. Katniss! During all the chaos, I lost track of her! What if she was caught in the fire? What is she's hurt? Without thinking, I shout her name:

"Katniss!"

But I do not receive an answer. Although I'm totally aware of the insanity of my actions and about the fact that it will probably get me killed, I set out towards the burning trees. I have to find her and make sure she is safe!

As I get closer to the fire, my skin starts to heat up and my vision gets more and more blurry. On the other hand, sounds are getting clearer. I hear the dying breath of several animals, the ones that didn't outrun the fire. As I listen to their desperate screams, I can only think of myself as a lunatic. Because I'm heading to the place they're desperately trying to get away from.

Besides the animals, I can also hear something else - a strange, buzzing sound, like a propeller. I wave my hand through the air, in an attempt to make the smoke disappear, but it isn't worth the effort. I look up, because I assume the sky should still be visible. Only, there is no sky to see. Instead, I stare at a huge hovercraft drifting not far away from me. It's flying pretty low and it looks like it's picking up something. A body. That means at least one person didn't make it. But I did not hear the canon. That little fact makes me realize something is wrong. Maybe...

Before I can even start to figure out what's really going on, something bumps in to me and I smack down. As I hit the ground, I feel a sharp object piercing my left arm and I let out a painful groan. The thing that ran me over is lying on top of me. I push it aside and sit up, so I can take a better look at it.

It's Johanna Mason. And she looks anything but fine. Her face is all sweaty and covered with burns, her clothes seem to be torn apart and her swollen fingers are wrapped around a very bloody knife. When she sees me, her expression goes from troubled to really confused. She opens her mouth to say something, but all she can do is cough. Tears stream down her face, drawing wet lines on her cheeks. Her eyes are red, likely because of all the smoke. When she finally catches her breath, she croaks: "What are you still doing here?" I stare at her: "I'm looking for the others." "That's foolish," she replies and she nods at the woods, "You will not find anything in that fire except death."

Johanna gets to her feet and she reaches out her hand in order to help me up, but I hesitate. Why doesn't she try to kill me? I'm in no position of defending myself: I am unarmed, as I lost my weapon in the fight with Brutus and Chaff, and because of my wounded arm, I can't to put up a decent fistfight. Now is her chance to finish me off, but why doesn't she take it? Johanna must have noticed my confusion, because she bends over and whispers in my ear: "The others will be alright. It's over. You gotta trust me." She looks me in the eye, gives me a reassuring look and grabs my good arm. I allow her to help me up, but still, I feel a little bit suspicious. Suddenly, she does something I didn't see coming. She throws me her knife.

"Catch."

I catch it with my left hand and almost instantly, a feeling of pain starts to spread through my arm. I look at my wound: a piece of metal is sticking out of it and a decent amount of blood is dripping down my arm. Anyway, I should be worrying about that right now - I must focus on Johanna.

"Thanks," I give her a weak smile. She nods and points at the hovercraft.

"Come on, we got a plane to catch." She looks up at the sky, where the forcefield is still burning and crumbling down. "I don't know if they can spot us," she adds. She starts to scream and keeps jumping up and down, clearly in an attempt to the draw the attention to herself, but her voice gets lost in the air.

"They don't hear you," I tell her, but Johanna ignores me, and goes on with her attempts to draw the attention of the hovercraft. I sigh. Is she becoming suicidal? Why does she want to be noticed by the Capitol? I grab her right arm and turn her around. "What are you doing?" I demand.

But Johanna doesn't seem to hear me. She keeps looking skywards, still waving with her left hand. With every second, she starts to becomes more and more impatient. Finally, she ceases her attempts.

"It's useless," she whispers, more to herself than me.

I feel distracted, like I'm missing something really big here. Johanna's behavior is just so … not Johanna-like. I ponder about what she whispered in my ear earlier.

"_The others will be alright..."_

But they've been picked up with a Capitol plane! How can that be alright? Unless...

My train of thought is interrupted by Johanna's voice. She starts screaming anxiously. The sound of that stuns me. It's not the sound you'd expect Johanna Mason to make. Johanna drops to her knees, as if she's having a nervous breakdown. She's still looking up at the sky and tears are welling up in the corner of her chocolate brown eyes. I follow her gaze and I see what caused her sudden desperation: the hovercraft is leaving.

The vision of Johanna, sitting there, like the world has resolved into despair, helps me to put the puzzle together. The events of the last days start to become meaningful. The explosion, the way the other tributes have been acting, the fact that they kept as many people alive as they could, no sound of the canon, Johanna who did not kill me... That hovercraft is obviously not manned by Capitol people. The Quarter Quell had ended. This whole chaos, everything that's been happening around me, is an escape. Johanna is no part of it. And neither am I.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Peeta**

I look up at the hovercraft, or at least, at what's still visible of it. Besides me, Johanna is doing the same. After a minute, it's gone and so is our last hope to escape from the arena. Johanna grabs my hand and squeezes it. I look at her. She seems to lost for words. The fact that were still in here must not have been part of the plan. Something must have gone wrong. I want to say something to her, I want to to comfort her. But I don't. Because I spot a silver parachute landing a few feet behind Johanna.

"Look." I point at it. Johanna runs towards the parachute and picks it up. She holds it high enough so I can see what it brought us. It's a letter. I stand beside her when she opens the envelope and read along over her shoulder. The letter is short:

_Katniss, Finnick and Beete are save. You're on your own now._

_Run, hide, do whatever you have to, so they will not catch you._

_I'm sorry._

Johanna snorts. She shakes her head, stares at the letter in disbelief and closes her eyes. I think she's trying to pull herself together.

And I? For the first time in my life, I don't know what to say. Johanna's behavior indicates that we're in a bad situation. She seems to know things I am not aware of, but I do not ask her about it. The cameras are still rolling, and even if they're no longer broadcasting the games, they're still watching us. That means that everything Johanna shares with me, she shares with the Capitol as well.

"Come on." Johanna's eyes are open again and her facial expression is decisive.

"What?"

She grabs my arm and she pulls me towards the forest, which is still burning. I hesitate.

"Are you mad? They're gone, there is nothing left in the flames! We don't know where those people are going! They'll catch us!" I say, in an attempt to sound as bewildered as I feel. Maybe, if we act like we don't know anything, they won't harm us. At least, I try to keep telling myself that, although I don't believe it. Johanna, on the other hand, does not seem to care anymore. She angrily throws the letter into the flames and yells:

"No time for jokes, come on. If they don't get us out, we'll get out by ourselves. I don't care where we're going, as long as it is away from here. So get over here, and move!"

I sigh, and nod, silently.

Johanna turns around and tramps away. And I follow her, just because that's the only thing I can think of doing right now. So here I am, left behind, in the middle of the arena, with only Johanna Mason as company. But something tells me, I'll get other company soon enough.

We keep on walking, and walking, and although we've only been walking for 15 minutes or so, it seems to last an eternity. In the meantime, the fire has gone out. The Gamemakers must have stopped it, but the smell of burned leaves still fills the area.

With every step I take, I realize more and more how hopeless our situation really is. I think about the letter. Who wrote it? And more important, why did a parachute of the Capitol deliver it to us?

"_Katniss, Finnick and Beetee are save. You're on your own now"_

Well, that speaks for itself. They are saved, we are not. Simple as that.

_"Run, hide, do whatever you have to so they will not find you"_

So, that's clearly not what we're doing. We're just walking around in the arena, but until now, nothing has found us.

"_I'm sorry"_

Those are just empty words. Whoever has written them, knows he left me and Johanna with a death sentence, or even worse. At least Katniss is safe, so my job is done. I don't care if I live or die right, as all I ever wanted was to make sure she survived. I should be happy, but I can't help but to feel sorry for Johanna. And deep down, I also feel betrayed.

I'm still pondering when Johanna starts talking to me.

"Stop! I hear something."

I can hear it too. A rustling sound: footsteps, but they're not human. A deep, growling noise is coming from behind us. I turn around and hear Johanna do the same. We can see nothing. But we can still hear it.

"I thinks it's coming this way," Johanna whispers, "Be prepared."

My grip tightens around the hilt of Johanna's knife, whilst Johanna grabs her axes. The growling grows louder and all of the sudden, I notice them. Two golden eyes, staring at me from a nearby bush. As fast as I can, I warn Johanna. And then, hell breaks loose. Three lionlike muts, the size of a horse, attack us. I slash at one, hitting it in one of his eyes, but it doesn't seem to bother the animal. In a desperate attempt to kill it, I throw the knife at it and it dugs into the lions head. The creature falls, and I pray that it's dead. A few feet away from me, Johanna is slashing and cutting with her axes. She's fighting two lions at once and did not even notice I killed the other. As I am now unarmed, I cannot help her. I look around, searching for anything that can serve as a weapon, as I see something glistering at my feet. A bow. Katniss' bow, the one she used during the previous Hunger Games. It's like it miraculously appeared, like a gift from heaven. But I have no time to question the sudden appearance of the weapon. I pick it up and direct an arrow at one of Johanna's attackers, when suddenly, I lose my balance. The lion I assumed to be dead, grabbed my artificial leg with his teeth. I kick around, without aiming. After four tries, I hit the beast in the eye and it lets go of me.

"It's no use fighting them," Johanna groans. She's right. Maybe they're created so it's impossible to kill them. I figure it's time to take the advice the letter gave us by heart. I struggle to my feet and yell:

"Run!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Peeta**

I run like I've never done before, but Johanna is faster. I try to stay as close to her as I can, but soon she's far ahead of me. Stupid leg. You never hear me complain about it, because I know that would hurt Katniss' feelings. But I disgust my artificial leg, because it bothers me a lot and also serves as a constant reminder of what happened to me in the past.

I shake my head. This is not the right time to think about Katniss, I should worry about myself. But how long before I'm out of energy? How long will it take those lions to catch me? While I'm still running, I peek over my shoulder. And I halt immediately. They're gone.

Why are they gone?

"Johanna, you can stop running!"

She must be too far away to hear me. So I run a bit farther and keep screaming, buts he's nowhere to be seen.

"Johanna! They're gone," I repeat, but she can't hear me.

I reach the border of the forest. Right in front of my lays the Cornucopia. I gaze around, still looking for Johanna. It's impossible to hide here, so I must be able to spot her pretty soon. But I don't. Could she have made it to another part of the arena? Unless...

I run towards the Cornucopia. Maybe she's hiding underneath it? But why? From whom? The Capitol? No, not from them. I'd bet on my life that they're still filming us. We're still pawns in their stupid game. There is no way of hiding, not from the cameras. Not from them.

I sigh and give it another try: "JOHANNA!" My voice echoos through the arena. For the first time, I realize how quiet it has become. A strange feeling crawls up my spine. Fear. Intense fear. The echoing sound of my voice has stopped. The world around me resolves in silence. It starts to get colder and darker too. The Gamemakers must be messing with me. They must know I'm scared. They use my fear against me.

"Peeta..."

Johanna's voice sounds weak.

"Peeta... Go Peeta ... it's a trap, get away, go..."

Those last word keeps ringing I my ears. Where to, where should I go? I can't leave her. "Johanna! Where are you?" I walk around, looking for her. She must have passed out, because she doesn't respond. Please Johanna, please don't be death, don't leave me alone in this mess.

I walk under the Cornucopia, but there's no sign Johanna. A feeling of despair hits me like a bullet. Suddenly, it changes into something I can't describe. I cannot feel weak I can't let them break me. I just can't. They use my emotions against me, to hurt everyone. Not just Johanna, but Katniss, my family, and … I look up, only to see the inside of the Cornucopia above me.

And then the ground beneath my feet starts moving.

"_...it's a trap..."_

Before I fall into the hole that's forming under my feet, I scream of anger. And after that, as a last act before the cameras, I address them, the ones who left me and Johanna behind.

"I really hope you do feel sorry for us! You own us that much!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Johanna**

I'm lying on a cold floor, feeling dizzy and bewildered. My eyes are closed. I don't want to be confronted by the situation I'm in just yet. I hope Peeta heard my warning. Although I pretend not to care about anybody, I find it difficult not to like him. I got to admit that I believed he was just a pussy, a tool Katniss used to survive, just like she uses her bow. But as I grew to know him, I realized I judged him wrong. Peeta's brave in his own way. I just hope he'll be ready for what's coming for us. We are in the hands of the Capitol now and they won't be waiting for us with a big celebration party. But I don't want to think about what they have in store for Peeta and me.

I open my eyes and am taken by surprise. I'm lying on the bottom of the machine they use to launch tributes in the arena. The irony of this fact dawns on me. Normally, people experience their last moments as a safe person in here. But I don't. I try to sit up, but I can't. I'm bleeding and every inch of my body is aching. All I can do, is turn my head a little. And then I groan.

Peeta is lying in another launch machine, on my right. He looks alright, but I can see the despair in his eyes. When he notices that I'm gazing at him, he manages a little smile. Typically Peeta, always trying to be the optimist, even in the most horrible situations. I blink with my eyes – once - , to show him that I appreciate what he's doing. He nods and stands up. I have no idea of what' he's planning, and then he reaches for a bow on his back.I recognize that bow, because that bow does not belong here at all. It's Katniss' bow, but not the one she used this year. I wonder how he laid hands on that one. Maybe … Never mind, it doesn't matter now. It matters that he still has a weapon and perhaps it can help us escape. Peeta slams the bow against the glass and tries to damage it with the tip of an arrow, but it doesn't even make a scratch. It's no use. He can't save us. We won't be spared of the endless tortures that are awaiting us. Unless – it can save one of us. I summon all my strength and lift up my arm. I knock against the glass, trying to get Peeta's attention. It worked. I mouth at him:

"Kill yourself."

As I say it, I sob. If Peeta follows my advice, I'll be alone. Again. I don't know if I can handle that. But he shakes his head and drops the bow, puts his tree fingers against his chest and holds them out to me. A sign of respect, and a sign of rebellion. And he says:

"I won't leave you alone."

I feel so grateful right know. It is so wrong to know I'm accepting the fact that he will go to horrible things, only because he doesn't want me to be alone. I start to cry and I silently hope they'll just leave me here, so I can drown in my own tears. But I know they won't.

The door slams open, and people walk in. I can't lift my head high enough to see who they are. I hear a struggle and see they are taking Peeta away.

"No," I croak, "No, don't leave me! Peeta!"

And then, waters starts to fill the launching machine. Slowly. I feel how it reaches my chin, my lips, my nose. I'm not able to swim. I will die here, alone, drowning. But in fact, if this is what they are going to do with me – I'm perfectly fine with that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Somewhere in District 7**

The air in the Victor's Village of District 7 is filled with silence. The streets are deserted, but if you take a closer look, you can notice something peculiar. A house at the end of the streets, which looks abandoned at first sight, has something mysterious about it. When someone would take the effort at it, he or she would notice that a flickering light is coming through a tiny opening between the curtains. And when someone would put his ear against the window, he or she would hear sounds coming from inside the house. And yet, the place is completely empty, except for a few things. In the living room is standing a televison, which is turned on. Opposite of it, there's a table, filled with pictures in frames. They portrait different people, most of them having brown hair or wide-set brown eyes. Some of the pictures show people laughing together, others are just ordinary family portraits. The strange thing about all of the pictures is that it seems like they are all watching the television. In front of them, at the table side, is lying a letter.

_You can all watch over me as long as I'm out there. Think about me, like I think about you every day._

_Soon, we will meet again, here or somewhere we can all be together again._

On the television screen, a young, brownhaired woman can be seen, struggling and fighting with a big lionlike beast. She looks hurt, damaged, not only physically, but mentally too. After a while, the woman loses the fight and is dragged into a hole in the ground. When she disappears out of sight, the television is suddenly turned off, like someone suddenly pushed the 'off' button. A cold breeze is slips trough an open window at the back of the house. The front door sweeps open, making a cracking noise. Drops of sunlight light up the floor of the corridor. It seems like somehow, the house – or something it is sheltering – wants to welcome her back.

But Johanna Mason won't be coming home anytime soon ...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**The baker**

Some say there are no words to describe how it feels when your children get hurt, but nevertheless, I tried to describe my feelings multiple times by now. I'd say I feel completely lost and empty, like I've lost a part of myself, like it has flown away and disappeared in to the cold, dark night. Never to return again. But even those words do not describe entirely how I've been feeling for over a year by now.

It all started that one day, at the reaping of the 74th Hunger Games. When they picked out the girl, the girl that looked so much like the woman I once loved, my heart sank to my knees. When the little girls sister took her place, something broke inside me.

But I never expected that the worst was yet to come.

They picked my son. My kid. I had hoped and prayed every day of my life that this would never happen, that my children would be safe. That they would not have to suffer the faith of so many others at those terrible games. Only two more years, and the three of them would have been safe. Only two more years before we could finally breathe again. We were so close... So close to a normal life. And maybe even so close that we become a real family, in the true sense of the word – a family that could love each other, without the constant fear of losing someone.

But that might just have been an illusion of a complete idiot. Our family was never close, and all of that because of my wife. I've heard the chatter, I know what they say about her. "She's a witch, that never loved her children or even her husband." They whisper that she's a coldhearted person, only interested in making money. I wish I could say it wasn't true. But it is. She never showed any love towards me ever since our sons were born. And the boys never got any love from her side either. Still, deep down, I can't believe that the woman I've married, who was once so sweet and loving, is completely gone. I don't know what changed her. Maybe it was the wary atmosphere in Panem? Perhaps she lost fait because it took us so much energy to raise the kids in a normal way? Or maybe she doesn't really care about anything but our money? The fact is, we are pretty rich people, compared to the other citizens of District 12. But I consider myself a rich man not because of the bakery I own or the money I earn. I'm rich because I have something I treasure so much in this world. My family. And for over a year, I've been sitting on the first row to watch some big show – a show in which my biggest treasure is slowly been taken away from me.

And a few minutes ago, that show finally ended. I'm locked between my sons on the sofa, staring at a black screen. The screen on which we've seen him being swallowed by a hole in the floor of that terrible arena. Peeta...

I look away from the television, not able to keep thinking about everything that recently happened any longer. I must do something.

It's like the world around me unfreezes. I can see my sons faces, they look stricken with grief. I feel like they - too - know that Peeta's lost. From behind me, I hear a strange noise. I turn around, and look straight into my wifes deep blue eyes. She stands there, frozen, her face expressing pure horror. She is clinging onto a medallion, a thing she always carries with her. She never showed me what's inside. A reach out my hand, to grab hers and ….

BOOM

Before I can even figure out what is happening, I impulsively grab all my family members and pull them against me. I don't try to get them away, I do not try to get them to safety, I do not run. But instead, I hug them.

BOOM

They're bombing us.

BOOM

They are bombing District 12.

BOOM

We're blown away. I fly through the air and fall face down on the cold floor. In a glimpse, I can see my wife hitting the kitchen door. The boys have landed next to the kitchen table, or at least, what's still left of it. Dust is spreading, filling the area. I can barely see a thing. I wave my hands, and even that little movement hurts like hell. I start crawling, which drains much of my energy, but soon find the hands of my wife. I can see her. She looks very weak. Tears have made wet lines in the dust that covers her face. My sons crawl towards us and I grab their hands. For a moment, we all stay still, holding each other tightly. And suddenly...

"I have always loved you..."

My wifes voice sounds soft, weak. She whimpers hysterically. With all the strength she has left, she manages to scream.

"I always loved my family, you hear me bastards. Why did you do this to us!"

I look at her, and feel like the woman I fell in love with is coming back to me. And then I notice the medallion she is still holding. It sprang open. After all these years, I can finally see which secret she kept in there so well hidden. It a picture, a picture of a treasure she somehow never claimed.

Our family.

I close my eyes in contentment. I finally know I was always right. We never been a true family, but the hope I carried with me all those years, was never an illusion after all.

That moment, the roof collapsed. The last thing that flashes my mind, is that we, wherever we are going now, will have the chance to find true happiness and peace. We finally get a second chance, together.

"There are many thing I regret about my life. The thing I regret the most, is not being brave enough to admit I always loved you. The constant fear of losing you all has kept me from revealing the true feeling I have hidden for so long. Don't ask me for another reason, because this is the only one I can give.  
When I heard your last words in the arena, I felt they were meant for many people, and one of them was me. And yes, I do feel sorry. I'm sorry I never took the chance to show you how deeply I cared for you. And I want you to know that the thing I value most in this world, is my family. Forgive me. I hope that somehow, someday, I can make it up to you."

- a letter of Peeta's mother, which she wrote right after the ending of the Third Quarter Quell


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Johanna**

I can't believe I believed for one second that the Capitol would let me drown. Of course they would allow me to die, that would be too merciful. Besides, I'm the most valuable person they have, because I'm the only one who has any valuable information. I should remember that, as well as the fact that I am the only one who can betray the rebels.

It's day three of my 'happy holiday' at the Capitol. Or at least, I believe it is. I lost track of time since I woke up in this prison cell two days ago. I found myself to be bathing in a big puddle of strange smelling liquid – the liquid that filled the launching machine right after they took Peeta away. Soon, I realized they did not try to drown me in it at all. Instead, the liquid turned out to be some kind of medicine. Ironically, those Capitol people saved my life, but certainly not because they want me to be a healthy and happy person – but because they can't interrogate someone who's dying.

For now, I can consider myself to be a lucky girl. I'm healthy and unharmed, but I don't expect things to remain like this. One day, and probably that day will come soon, they'll realize I won't talk to them. I'm not interested in their generous offers. They'll find out soon enough, that they will have to beat the information out of me, which is anything but a nice prospect.

"Argh!"

I punch the wall of my cell and scream in frustration. I look up at the ceiling, while I ask myself if there will be any way to stay out of trouble, but I can't come up with anything. I want to punch the wall once more, when I hear something:

"Tik tok."

What's that? I don't know where that came from. But it's obvious that that sound coming from outside my cell. I sit up, straighten my back, wait and listen. Minutes rush by when I suddenly hear it again:

"Tok."

Now I noticed were it came from! Someone, or something, is knocking on the right wall of my cell. At least, that's what I want to believe. To make sure that I am not going nuts, I knock back:

"Tik tok."

Immediately, someone responds.

"Tik tok tik tok"

The knocking sounds like a melody this time. I'm sure I heard it before, but when? And who's the mysterious person at the other side of the wall? Definitely another prisoner, and the only one I know to be captured is Peeta. Could it be him? There must be a way to find out! "Think Johanna, think!", I tell myself.

"Click, clack, click, clack ..."

The sound of someone walking past my cell door scares me up. They're back! They're coming for me, but … Why did they ran past my door?

My unspoken question is answered by a horrible scream, coming from the cell next to mine. And that scream also answers my previous question.

Peeta Mellark is definitely the person imprisoned next to me.

* * *

**Author Note: Hello everyone! Ellyn here :-) I just wanted to thank you for reading my fic, and for asking me to update! It's always nice to hear that my work is appreciated. I know it's a lame excuse, but as I am not a native english speaker, I want to apologize for the grammar and spelling mistake I make. I hope you can forgive me. Special thanks to HGFan4719, whose review urged me to update the story. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Johanna**

The screaming went on for hours. I was so wrong when I thought that there was nothing worse than the fear of being tortured myself: Peeta's screams went through flesh and bone. I wonder if my screams will have the same effect on him. I make a mental note to myself, that I have to ask him that - if I ever get the chance. But at least, he won't be feeling as guilty as I do. I still got the feeling it's my fault he's here and that I should have killed him when I had the chance. I should have convinced him to kill himself that day, while we were inside those tubes, so he wouldn't have to be here. But I'll just have to live with that, Peeta's misery is another crime I can add to my list. I have so many things I regret, that I will learn to cope with this new feeling of guilt soon enough. But I shouldn't be pondering about all this – let's go back to reality.

During the time they've been taking care of Peeta, another prisoner arrived and was placed her in the cell opposite to mine. I have peaked trough the small opening underneath my cell door, but I couldn't see who it was – but I do know it's a 'she'. Because she's been doing nothing but screaming, not out of pain, but out of fear. And that sound is nearly as awful as Peeta's screams. Even now, when the sounds from Peeta's cell died, she's still making a terrible noise. I wish she would stop, because I'm getting a serious headache, which is the last thing I want, because it makes it hard to concentrate. I still have to figure out what I will tell the interrogators, when they'll come for me… and I still don't know what melody it was that Peeta had made by knocking on the wall. "Tik tok tik tok." No, I do not know.

"Click clack click clack."

Footsteps – once again. They are paying us many of visits today. Maybe they start to like us so much that they can't miss us longer as three hours?

Somewhere, a door creaks and sounds of a short wrestling can be heard. Suddenly, my own door slams open, and they throw young girl with black hair at my feet. She acts like some lunatic= she's kicking invisible foes and screams things that nobody understands. A guard steps in and points at me:

"You, take care of that." He points at the girl. "Make sure she shuts up!"

"If she dies, I'll make sure the voltage goes up way high next time!" he adds gruesomely, before he leaves.

Totally astonishes, I look at the girl whose lying on the floor and I recognize her immediately. It's Annie Cresta. Sweet, beautiful, crazy Annie Cresta.

"Annie!" I yell.

She keeps kicking.

"Annie!"

No answer.

"Annie!"

It's no use...

"ANNIE!"

Somehow, my voice is not able to reach her, so I decide to leave her alone. I get up and walk away from her. I find a place at the other side of the room and lean against the wall, my eyes locked upon Annie. I remain silent for a while, acting like some Peacekeeper who's observing hard working inhabitants of Panem. I must admit it's a pretty boring job – and I almost feel petty for the Peacekeepers. Almost.

After what seems to have been a very long time, Annie finally notices my presence and shuts up. She starts to stare at me, which I find extremely annoying. For I moment, I wonder if this is some sort of torture. Maybe they believe that, if they annoy me long enough, I'll start talking because I would otherwise die of too much irritation? I snort and decide I should better take care of Annie and her annoying stare. I put up my most gentle face and sit down in front of her. As nice as I can, I start talking.

"Hey Annie, I'm Johanna. I'm a friend of Finnick. That means I am a good person, get it?"

Jezus, this 'acting nice' thing is really hard. Lucky for me, it's not a skill you needed to survive in the arena. If it would have been, I should have been gone after 10 seconds. But it seems to work. Annie nods. I sigh, and go on.

"We are captured by the Capitol. Finnick is safe, so you do not have to worry. Do you understand?"

She nods, I silently cheer– victory for me.

"Alright – Annie - all you need to do is to be calm, they're not gonna hurt you."

She keeps staring at me. Why does she do that? Doesn't she know that staring is impolite? But yeah, she's a bit crazy, so I decide I should not blame her for the staring.

After a few moment of silence, she finally speaks.

"Who was screaming, earlier today?"

I blink. So while she was acting crazy, she did notice what was going on around her?

"It's Peeta."

- "Who's he?"

"He got captured along with me, at the end of the Hunger Games. He's a friend of me. And a friend of Finnick too."

- "Is he dead?"

"I don't know

- "Where do dead people go?"

Dham, that's a hard question. How should I know? I don't want to think about it, because it recalls memories… About my family, my friends and everyone one I cared about. Because they are all dead… gone, like they were never even there. I just hope they're somewhere safe. All of them. I think they are waiting for me.

Suddenly, I got hit by a flashback. When I was only 6 years old, someone I knew from school had died, because she fell out of a tree. When I came home that day, I'd been inconsolable. My dad managed to calm me down, and the first thing I asked him was the same question that Annie asked me a few seconds ago. And I do remember his answer.

"You know Annie, my dad once explained me were dead people go. Would you like me to explain it to you?"

She nods. A take a deep breath.

"You know, life and all of it around us is like a big theater show. We are all part of a big play – like we are actors on a stage - and each of us has a significant role in it. While we are playing, people are watching us. Just like an audience watches a theater show in a real life.

At some point of the show, the role we are playing ends. That means that our 'stagetime' is over. And when that happens, a big man called 'Death' walks up on the stage and grabs your arm to take you away – so you can make room for the other actors. Sometimes it happens really quick and you have to leave unexpected. And sometimes, you get to say goodbye to the other people, who's role is still not over. It's different for everybody. But everyone gets taken away by Death and he leads you safely away from the stage and takes you to the audience. There, you can find yourself a nice warm place between all the others who are already sitting there. You can watch the people who are still playing, but you cannot talk to them, nor can you touch them. But you can watch over them. And one day, Death will go up that stage and get someone you love. He or she will be coming to you, and you'll be rejoined. So you can watch the people on the stage together, for all eternity."

I stop speaking and everything falls silent, until Annie whispers to me:

"Do you know people who are sitting in the audience?"

I'm overwhelmed by that question. When I answer, my voice breaks.

"Yes."

Annie smiles.

"I'm sure they're still watching over you. They must be really proud..."

I blink and a tear streams down my face. I hope she is right. Because when she is, that gives me a reason not to give up. I won't let them break me, because the thought of my family having to watch me like that, is just too hard to take.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Haymitch**

I look in amazement as my reflection stares back at me. Deep, red wounds disfigure my already hollow, white cheeks and blood is still dripping down my chin, mangled with salty tears. In a moment of anger, I smash the mirror in front of me to pieces and scream, a most inhuman sound leaves my mouth. Someone grabs me by the shoulders and pushes me against the wall, but I refuse to look at the person who tries to talk sense into me, so I stare at the ceiling of the room instead. But that doesn't really ease the pain inside my chest either. Images of the past events keep popping up in my mind and as I close my eyes to shut them out, they become even clearer.

I saw everything, I did nothing. On numerous times in my life, I felt helpless, but this feeling of helplessness tops all of the others. Because for the first time, I could have done something to prevent what happened, and I failed. "I failed," I whisper, more to myself than to anyone else, "I failed them both." Peeta and Katniss, both of them. I made them empty promises, the past year. Promised them both to protect the other, although it seemed that I would only be able to save one. I hadn't even decided which of my promises I was going to keep, when I made up my mind and figured that – for once in my life – I would try to keep both of them. For a while, it looked like I would succeed. Right after the 3rd Quarter Quell was announced, plans began to shape themselves. We, the rebels, had to act straight away. Why? Because we needed the Victors - the people who were about to be eradicated - to start a real rebellion.

It had been Snows announcement of the Quell that lighted another of many fires, and even though I was desperate in the beginning, I later grow thankful about everything that happened. Finally, we did something, we made things happen, because there was no other option left. Finally the waiting was over! We decided that we would save Katniss and Peeta, and if the odds would be in our favor, we would also save the entire world. But things turned out different.

I felt like the most powerful person in the world for months, carrying a secret with me like a powerful weapon that kept me going, but as the weeks went by, I started to realize that the expectations I had were nothing but childish dreams. Only a little girl that still believed in fairy tales would remain convinced that all of us could survive, that none of us would have to die. For a long time, I acted like such a little girl, but I could not keep fooling myself. It wasn't until the 75th Hunger Games started, that reality forced itself upon me. I saw my friends dying, live on television. I saw recordings of families, crying for their loved ones. As a mentor, I had been confronted by grieving people a lot, but I always managed to shut it all out. Because of the alcohol, I managed not to care anymore. But this time I did, because I knew the people who died and were about to die. Because they were the ones that, even though I was nothing more but a drunken asshole, had found a way to make me like them. Their deaths made the illusion that I would be able to save all of my friends blew apart like a popping balloon. I hoped and begged that, just like the previous time, I would find a way to keep at least Katniss and Peeta safe, and hopefully as many other people as possible. But fate has never been kind to me. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Minutes before our escape, Katniss' group fell apart. Because of the sudden event, we were rushed to leave and the hovercraft had lost fuel, and by that, we also lost time. The time we needed to prevent Chaff from getting slaughtered by Brutus, the time we needed to find both Johanna and Peeta. After we pulled Katniss, Finnick and Beetee from the arena, Plutarch had announced that we had to leave. Otherwise, none of us would make it out alive. I watched as the hovercraft turned around and left the arena, and nobody listen to my objections. Everything became worse when I heard their helpless screams, Johanna's and Peeta's, from a distance and for a moment I feared that they had died. Right now, I wish they did. Because everything dawned on me: they wouldn't be safe or find any moment of peace until the moment their heart will stop beating. In an attempt to grant them a way out of the misery that awaited them, I tried to find some grenades to bomb the arena and kill the both of them. But I never got the time to execute my plan, because Plutarch had dragged me away from the hovercrafts window and took me to another room to meet with Finnick and discuss out situation. That's where Katniss found me, hours later. Even before she attacked me, I figured out she was gonna do that. The feeling of her nails against my skin had relieved me, like some of my guilt dripped away as the blood fell down my cheeks. Because Katniss' fury told me that she would never let me forget, she would make sure that the rest of my existence will become a lifelong punishment. And right now, I don't deserve anything better than that.

A soft fabric touches my skin and I look down. A woman in a white coat tries to treat my injuries, but I push her hand aside. I don't want to be taken care of. "Leave me alone," I shout. The woman mutters some words I do not listen to. I peek over her shoulder and see that Plutarch appeared in the doorpost. His face is stern, like always, but I know him well enough to understand that something is wrong. My eyes question him, but he shakes his head. His expression is obvious: "You don't want to know." But it's not up to him to decide what I should and should not know. Besides, his look betrays him. He's staring at a television screen in the corner of the room. I follow his gaze, and witness something I only considered possible in my nightmares. Flames are everywhere, I see how houses explode, how people are running away for their lives, only to be killed second later by another deathly attack. My home, or what I once called home, is being shred to pieces. The sight of it is horrible, but the sound is even more dreadful. Hundreds of people are executed, live, before my eyes. Because of what we did. Several shots of District 12 are shown, and I recognize Katniss old house between the flames. Snow must be convinced that she is watching. I think of her mother and sister, and of Gale – the only people besides Peeta that mean anything to her. They are all gone now. After that, the images shift to that of the inner village of 12 and I watch how Peeta's old home burns to the ground. This image frightens me even more than the previous one. Why? Because of the sound. I can hear people screaming inside that house. The Capitol must be convinced that this wasn't horrible enough, because we are presented be shots of four burning people. I don't recognize them at first, but then I spot a woman with bright blue eyes, whose color is all too familiar to me. After a few second, the burning, dismembered bodies of those people disappear, and by the time the screens goes dark, I threw up over Plutarch shoes and succumb to my knees. Plutarch grabs my shoulders and slaps me in the face. "Haymitch!" But I don't listen to him, because I just realized something. "They didn't show Katniss' family burning!" I tell him. Plutarch looks bewildered. "Wasn't this bad enough?" he asks, pointing at the television screen. "That's not my point," I say while I swallow back what's still left of my lunch. "Why show Peeta's family, but not Katniss'? And the sound… I couldn't hear them…" Plutarch frowns. I know he is smart enough to understand, he is head Gamemaker after all. He knows how to make good television, how to hurt people with images. Snow wants to hurt us, but those shots of people would have made it a lot harder if they did also show a dead Prim, or Gale for that matter – because Panem knows who they are. They are the Mockinjays family. Plutarch motions someone behind him, someone I don't know. "Send troops to 12, now! We have reason to believe that at least 3 people made it out alive!"

* * *

**Another chapter, and this is a new one. Some of you might have noticed that previous parts of this fanfic were published before (remember that this is a remake of my fic that I wrote years ago) - bus this is a new chapter I wrote for this reboot of my previous, but shorter, fanfic. I hope you like it. Thanks again to people who are following me and to the ones that reviewed! I appreciate that A LOT! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Peeta**

The games met their end, but so far, I didn't meet mine. And that little fact is the one thing that keeps me busy, while I'm walking through numerous hallways of an extremely large building. I actually have no clue about the things that are going to happen. I am about to ask one of my guards what they are going to do to me, when one of them opens a door on my right and pushes me inside. To my surprise, I am greeted by my entire preparation team. For a second, I fear that they brought me here because I accidentally won the Games, but one look upon Portia's face tells me otherwise.

The guards leave us by ourselves and right after they closed the door, Portia starts to explain everything. Panem just witnessed the escape of the other Victors, but nobody knows who made it out alive, because they stopped broadcasting almost immediately after the explosion. Rumor has it that Katniss, Finnick and Beetee escaped, and that the Gamemaker had something to do with it. To my relief, they tell me that Haymitch disappeared hours ago as well. That means that both him and Katniss are safe. Portia is also convinced that they will declare me Victor, to calm the people down. But she couldn't have been more wrong.

Right after my team finished my make-up and dressed me properly, they escort me to an underground prison cell, where I have to wait for an unlikely visitor. After what seems only seconds, President Snow himself turns up, alone, to talk to me.

"Mr. Mellark," he says politely, "how nice of you to stick around. I thought you would have preferred to stay at Ms. Everdeens side." His mouth smiles at me, but his eyes don't. "You're right about that," I tell him, "but the odds weren't exactly in my favor." "Or so it seems," he replies gently. Silence falls and he stares at me for a while. When he speaks again, his voice has some bitterness in it: "I have a confession to make, Mr. Mellark. You see, I already know where she is, so you don't need to tell me. I also know that you have no idea about the plans that were made by the other Victors. But haven't you noticed something?" He looks at me, waiting for an answer. I sigh, "You haven't killed me, so obviously, I can be of good use to you." "Ah," the president smiles again, "this is what makes you so different from Ms. Everdeen. You don't like to play games, you don't fool yourself. Your honesty suits you, Mr. Mellark. Indeed, I need you. Why, you might ask? I need you to be the one to stop this rebellion. Tell the people that everything is useless, that there is no need for all this … violence." I frown, not sure if he's mocking me. Why should I do that? Why should I undermine everything the other Victors scarified themselves for? I shoot him a questionable look, and he widens his eyes. 'Isn't is obvious", they say. Then, I remember what he told me before: he already knows where the escapees are, so that means he can send troops to their location. Unless…

"You want to bargain, isn't it?" I say. The Presidents starts to pace up and down the room. "Good, I'm glad you understand. That saves us a lot of time and chit-chat. Here is my proposal: if you – convincingly – declare that you want the rebels to cease fire, I promise you that I will leave Ms. Everdeen and her comrades alone. For now. You have one month, if they do not put their weapons down after that period, I will no longer guarantee their safety."

I kind of suspected his proposal to turn out like this, but I am still surprised by this turn of events. Although I do not want to admit it, it seems a fair deal. I betray the rebels, in order to keep them safe. Or buy them time, if you want to put it that way. The only one who will look bad in this story, is me. People will believe me to be a traitor, but that's not a high price at all. If I lie to the people, I will give Katniss and Haymitch more time to do whatever they believe to be necessary. I don't think the rebellion will end after this month, but one month is a long time. You never know. For now, all I can do is give them _time_. I hold out my hand to the president, "If that's what you have to offer, we have a deal. But," I add, "there are no other strings attached?" Snow grins, "One month, no attacks on Everdeens hideout. Nothing more, nothing less." The tone of his voice tells me I should not trust him, but when he takes my hand, I shake it nevertheless. What else can I do? It's either this, or nothing.

Snow claps his hands and swings his arm around my shoulder: "If you'll please follow me, dear Peeta, I'll take you to your first interview." It strikes me that he called me by my first name for the first time during this conversation. So, are we friends now? No, I guess it's just a way to mock me. The President takes me to the exact same room where the interview with Katniss and me was recorded, after we won last year's Hunger Games. "Take a seat, Caesar will arrive soon," the Presidents' eyes narrow and walks away from me. He conceals himself in the shadows at the corner of the room, but I can feel his eyes burning onto my skin. "Oh and Peeta," he whispers, "It's your turn now. Convince me."

Without a warning, the lights turn on and so do all of the television screens in the studio. I am presented with shots of my home, bathing in flames. I see several of my friends' houses burn to the ground. I see people burning, some of them I knew personally. I want to run away, but somehow I can't. It's like I'm glued to the sofa, paralyzed. Around me, people are entering the studio, but all that matters to me is the small screen in front of me. "So Peeta, we meet again," I hear Caesars voice beside me, but I'm to shocked to answer, because of what I see. My family, burning. I am about to faint, when the images on the screen change. Instead of my burning family, I now see myself, horrified, sitting on a sofa next to the famous Caesar Flickerman. I look up, right in time to hear them say: "3,2,1 and we're recording." The interview takes off, but the image of my dying family is still imprinted in my memory. I am about to get up and leave, because all of it becomes too much for me, but than a sound rings in my ears. "Convince me."

A feeling of hate crashes down on my shoulder, and suddenly I relax. Because I know something now. Snow will be playing a game with me, and although he believes I don't like games, I actually do like to play some games. And I am good at one in particular: lying. I will convince Snow and his people like no one has ever convinced them before. And they will regret it.

* * *

**Thanks to HGFan4719 for the nice review of my previous chapter! Reviews like that are very motivating, so thanks, thanks, thanks! I also want to thank everyone who decided to follow this story, or added it to his or her Favorite-list.**

**This chapter is (again) new chapter I added to the old story, because I felt that I did not write enough about Peeta's time in prison while he still knew who he really was. I hope you like it, please tell me about it in the comments. If you have any remarks or criticism, feel free to share it as well. It might help me to improve the story. Just don't write 'Ugh, I could have done better', like someone has done before. It's not wrong to dislike the story, but I would like to know why you dislike it so much. Anyway, see yah and thanks again to all of you who gave my story a chance!**


End file.
